In 2024, 21.2% of global retail sales will happen online.
That’s a 6% jump from five years ago, showing the increasing demand for online products and services.
This provides an opportunity for all eCommerce businesses to grow revenue — but this takes more than just a set of standout products and services.
By making the most of the top eCommerce tools, you can be sure to boost sales and streamline your processes.
Our eCommerce experts at Digital Silk have broken down 15 of the best eCommerce tools to grow sales into five categories:
- eCommerce tools for research
- eCommerce platforms as tools
- eCommerce tools for analytics
- eCommerce tools for customer service
- eCommerce tools for marketing
See what made the list and find the best tools to grow your business below!
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What To Look For In An eCommerce Tool
The best eCommerce tools support your business strategy by creating new opportunities and streamlining current processes to grow your online brand.
Whether an app, plugin or platform, choose an eCommerce tool by considering:
- Features: Research the key features that set the tool apart from its competitors, such as codeless usability or machine learning, and consider their relevance for your eCommerce website.
- Integrations: Determine how the tool can be connected to your existing eCommerce solutions to optimize your workflows.
- Pricing: See the various pricing plans and work out ongoing costs to calculate whether the costs fit within your budget.
Best eCommerce Tools For Research
Research tools provide functionalities that help you understand your target audience, competitors and market. In turn, you can address current customer pain points and identify opportunities to drive digital growth.
It’s no surprise 82% of marketers say that high-quality target audience data is vital in their roles.
The three eCommerce tools our experts recommend for research are:
1. Ahrefs
Ahrefs is a search engine optimization (SEO) software specializing in keyword research, competitor analysis, link building and site audits.
By using Ahrefs, you can unearth on- and off-page techniques that will help your page and products appear higher on Google, improve your site performance and drive traffic to your e-store.
Features
- Keyword research tool
- Competitor analysis tool
- Backlink analysis tool
- Link building tool
- SEO audit tool
Integrations
Ahrefs can be accessed through their web platform.
However, it can also be integrated via an application programming interface (API) or easily connected with countless third-party solutions, including:
- Content management system (CMS) software, like WordPress
- Google products, like Google Looker Studio
Price
- Lite: $99 a month
- Standard: $199 a month
- Advanced: $399 a month
- Enterprise: $999 a month
2. SEMrush
SEMrush is an SEO tool used for keyword research, competitive analysis, site audits, backlink tracking and comprehensive online visibility insights.
eCommerce businesses of all sizes can use SEMrush to make data-backed decisions that enhance digital presence and boost targeted website traffic.
Features
- Keyword research tool
- Competitor analysis tool
- Backlink analysis tool
- On-page SEO recommendations
- Traffic analytics
Integrations
SEMrush works through an online platform, and can also be seamlessly integrated with a range of third-party apps, software and solutions, such as:
- Google products
- Social networks
- Artificial intelligence (AI) tools
- CMS software
- Project management software
Price
- Pro: $129.95 a month
- Guru: $249.95 a month
- Business: $499.95 a month
3. Jungle Scout
Jungle Scout supports Amazon sellers with search and market analytics, inventory management and sales intelligence solutions.
Using Jungle Scout’s valuable insights, eCommerce firms can discover which products to sell, track the highest performing keywords and boost sales through marketing solutions.
Features
- Browser extension
- Keyword analysis and tracker tool
- Amazon product database and tracker
- Listing optimization builder and scorer
- Sales analytics
- Inventory manager
- Supplier database
Integrations
Jungle Scout’s integrations include an internal AI functionality and external:
- Google Chrome browser extension
- Amazon integration
- Third-party API integrations
Price
- Basic: $49 a month
- Suite: $69 a month
- Professional: $129 a month
Best eCommerce Platforms As Tools
eCommerce platforms are comprehensive software that provide businesses with all the tools needed to create, run and grow their online stores.
The platform you choose plays a major role in how your eCommerce website is tailored to your e-store requirements, features and functionalities.
Due to marketing spending the average cost per visitor for eCommerce websites is $0.16, making it important to create a captivating, on-brand user experience (UX) that connects with your target audience and drives sales.
In turn, we suggest to our clients three extensive eCommerce platforms that go beyond templates to support custom website design solutions.
The three eCommerce platforms our experts recommend are:
4. Shopify
Shopify is a popular eCommerce platform that supports the development, management and upkeep of online stores.
10% of U.S. eCommerce is powered by Shopify, and it supports vendors of all sizes in growing their businesses and revenue online.
Features
- Online store builder
- Customizable theme templates
- Inventory management
- Checkout and payment processing
- Order tracking
- Multi-language functionality
Integrations
Shopify can be integrated with all types of eCommerce tools and technologies through user-friendly extensions and a comprehensive app store. Popular integrations include:
- Marketing integrations
- Accounting integrations
- Shopify Partners integrations
- Project management integrations
Price
- Basic: $39
- Shopify: $105 a month
- Advanced: $399 a month
- Pro: $2,000
5. Magento
Adobe Commerce, previously known as Magento, is a specialist eCommerce platform that provides flexible, scalable digital solutions for online businesses.
Magento supports fast-growing or enterprise companies by facilitating high-performing, engaging user experiences that handle high sales volumes.
Features
- Multi-brand and site solutions
- Catalog and inventory management
- Mobile-first design functionality
- Fully integrated payment solutions
- Analytics and reporting
Integrations
Although a complex process, Magento can be integrated with endless solutions through web APIs to create a superior customer experience and streamlined operations management. Some integrations include:
- Secure payment solutions
- Automated accounting solutions
- Customer relationship management (CRM) systems
- Email marketing & social media
- Shipping software
Price
- Magento Open Source: $0
- Magento Commerce: Starting at $22,000 a year
- Magento Commerce Cloud: Starting at $40,000 a year
6. WooCommerce
WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin that helps eCommerce companies of all sizes build and manage their online stores.
The easy-to-use plugin can help you drive sales by creating an intuitive customer journey, engaging user interface (UI) and streamlined checkout process without the need for coding knowledge.
Features
- Custom-coded, templated and drag-and-drop design functionalities
- User-friendly content management with community support
- Countless integrations, themes and plugins
Integrations
WooCommerce itself is a WordPress plugin that can be integrated with:
- Payment gateway integrations
- Plugins
- Extensions
Price
Free with paid options for web hosting support, themes and additional plugins
Best eCommerce Tools For Analytics
Analytics tools can help you refine, improve and reposition your online store by providing performance-related insights and customer behavior analysis.
For example, did you know that over seven in ten online shopping carts are abandoned?
Using analytics, you can pinpoint the elements of your online store that might be preventing visitors from making a purchase and fix them to reduce cart abandonments — such as a complicated checkout process or lack of payment options.
The three eCommerce tools our experts recommend for analytics are:
7. Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a web service that measures and reports website and mobile app traffic, alongside other key performance indicators (KPIs).
By collecting and displaying a deep range of personalized website insights, Google Analytics helps you track your online store’s performance, analyze customer behaviors and define what can be improved to drive sales.
Features
- Website KPIs, such as bounce rate, pages per session and page views.
- Built-in automation and real-time reporting
- AdSense advertising capabilities
Integrations
- Google Analytics can be integrated with other Google and partner products, such as:
- Google Ads
- Google Cloud
- Salesforce Marketing Cloud Integration
- Google Search Console
Price
- Free
8. HotJar
HotJar is an online tool that provides website heatmaps and behavior analytics, allowing you to see the common mouse movements, clicked-through areas and scrolled-past sections of your site.
With HotJar’s insights, you can see how visitors physically interact with your online store and products by discovering where they click, what they search for and when they drop off.
In turn, you can learn where to improve your site’s usability to boost customer satisfaction and completed sales.
Features
- Heatmaps for key landing pages and other website areas
- Recordings to watch user behavior first hand
- Survey templates and creation tools
- Feedback integrations
- User interview support
Integrations
HotJar can be accessed through their platform and connected to all types of third-party solutions, including:
- Integrations to install Hotjar
- Marketing integrations
- Team collaboration integrations
- Integrations for surveys and feedback
Price
- Basic: $0
- Plus: Starting from $39 a month
- Business: Starting from $99 a month
- Scale: Starting from $213 a month
9. GTmetrix
GTmetrix is a website performance and monitoring tool.
An eCommerce site that loads within one second converts 2.5x more visitors than a site that loads in five seconds.
Utilizing GTmetrix, you can test your page loading speeds and core web vitals to find out where to improve your site’s performance to deliver higher conversion rates.
Features
- GTmetrix website performance grading system
- Core web vitals insights
- Page speed reports
- Global testing
- Historic data and performance tracking
Integrations
GTmetrix can be integrated with third-party solutions through an API and the support of expert developers.
Price
GTmetrix does have free and personal options, but its business pricing is as follows:
- Business Champion: $75 a month
- Business Team: $200 a month
- Business Enterprise: $530 a month
- Business Custom: Custom pricing
Best eCommerce Tools For Customer Service
Customer service is a key driver in brand loyalty and repeat business.
In fact, 81% of customers say that a positive customer service experience pushes them to make another purchase.
By investing in customer relationships through customer service tools, you can support future sales through positive customer experiences.
The three eCommerce tools our experts recommend for customer service are:
10. Zendesk Chat
Zendesk’s live chat solution is the customer service element of their wider CRM solution.
Fast to set up, user friendly and scalable, Zendesk chat supports eCommerce businesses of any size to manage agent-to-consumer live chat conversations.
Features
- AI and intelligent responses
- Sentiment identification
- Proactive messages
- Unified omnichannel solution
- Prewritten responses
- Chatbots
Integrations
Zendesk can be integration with various solutions found on a unique database split into:
- Apps
- Partners
- Themes
Price
- Suite Team: Starting from $69 a month
- Suite Growth: Starting from $115 a month
- Suite Professional: Starting from $149 a month
- Suite Enterprise: Custom pricing
11. Sprout Social
Sprout Social is an all-in-one social media management platform.
In addition to wider social media marketing solutions, Sprout Social offers bespoke customer care services.
According to Sprout Social, 40% of customers expect a response with an hour of contacting on social media. Using their solutions, you can meet customer expectations and foster memorable, positive experiences for your target audience.
Features
- Customer activity notifications
- Customer details and personalization functionalities
- In-app collaboration
- User-friendly interface
- Insights dashboard
Integrations
Sprout Social’s integrations include:
- Business intelligence tools
- Lead generation, CRM and help desk tools
- Social commerce platforms
- Workflow and digital asset management systems
- Website and link tracking tools
Price
- Standard: $249 a month
- Professional: $399 a month
- Advanced: $499 a month
- Enterprise: Custom pricing
12. HubSpot Service Hub
HubSpot’s Service Hub solution is the customer services arm of HubSpot’s complete CRM platform.
The tool compiles extensive customer service data, including how your customers use your knowledge base, chat wait times and customer satisfaction scores, making it easier to outline the areas for improvement and customer success.
Features
- Conversational tools
- A shared inbox
- Help desk automation
- Knowledge base functionality
- Customer feedback and custom surveys
- Reporting
- Customer portal
Integrations
HubSpot’s Service Hub can be integrated with over 1,500 third-party apps and tools.
Price
- Free: $0
- Starter: $18 a month
- Professional: $450 a month
- Enterprise: $1,200 a month
Best eCommerce Tools For Marketing
Marketing tools help automate, segment and streamline your marketing processes, reducing costs and producing targeted campaigns.
The result?
Boosted brand awareness and high-quality leads.
The three eCommerce tools our experts recommend for marketing are:
13. Klaviyo
Klaviyo is a marketing automation platform that specializes in newsletter and SMS campaigns.
The tool can help your eCommerce store build and maintain strong branded relationships with communication ranging from automated abandoned cart reminders to highly customizable newsletters and SMS campaigns.
Features
- Targeted customer segmentation
- User-friendly email templates
- Customizable campaign automations
- Insights and analytics database
- Review collection and design
Integrations
Klaviyo offers over 300 pre-built integrations and flexible APIs.
Price
Klaviyo has a range of pricing packages based on your number of contacts. For example, a business with 1,001-1,500 contacts will pay:
- Free: $0
- Email: $45 a month
- Email & SMS: $60 a month
14. Omnisend
Omnisend is a popular email marketing and SMS marketing platform.
Your eCommerce business can benefit from Omnisend’s campaign creation and management capabilities to reach your target customers across touchpoints to drive lead generation.
Features
- Email templates
- Drag-and-drop automation editor
- Segmentation data
- Popups, landing page and form designs
- Advanced reporting a sales dashboard
Integrations
Omnisend can be directly connected to multiple major eCommerce platforms, including:
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- BigCommerce
Price
- Free: $0
- Standard: Starting from $16 a month
- Pro: Starting from $59 a month
15. Smile.io
Smile.io is a loyalty management software that helps boost customer loyalty and awareness through unique earning programs.
The tool can help you drive sales by offering customized rewards programs that resonate with your target customers and achieve return business.
Features
- Customizable points, VIP and referral capabilities
- Codeless admin dashboard
- Multiple language and device functionalities
Integrations
Smile.io can be integrated with over 25 apps and platforms, including popular solutions such as:
- Shopify
- HubSpot
- Klaviyo
Price
- Starter: $49 a month
- Growth: $199 a month
- Plus: $999 a month
Build Your Online Store With Digital Silk
If you’re looking to set up an online store or rework your current eCommerce offering to drive sales, we can help.
Our expert team at Digital Silk keeps a finger on the pulse of the latest eCommerce tools and technologies that drive sales for brands of all sizes — recommending and implementing the tools best fit for your e-store
As a full-service web design agency, we provide a range of solutions to grow your brand online.
Our full suite of digital solutions for eCommerce brands includes:
- Custom web design
- Custom web development
- Magento web design and development
- Shopify web design and development
- WooCommerce web design and development
- Digital branding
- Digital marketing
With every project, we guarantee:
- Project ownership
- Total transparency
- Measurable results
- Expert guidance
Contact our team or call us at (800) 206-9413 to tell us more about your eCommerce website project.
Or fill in the Request a Quote form to set up a free, custom consultation with our experts.
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